Warlock/arti Build?

[lhamilton]

I have been thinking of an 18 warlock/2 arti build intelligence based GOO. I want to be able to trap and have an easy button. Has anyone done this and enjoyed it? Is it worth going 17 warlock/2 arti/1 wiz for the extra feat? I would assume artificer level 1st for the skill points. I have done warlock 18/2 rogue which was ok but I feel like my charisma based life did more damage. Is this true or just my perception. Any help would be appreciated.

[JOTMON]

I have been thinking of an 18 warlock/2 arti build intelligence based GOO. I want to be able to trap and have an easy button. Has anyone done this and enjoyed it? Is it worth going 17 warlock/2 arti/1 wiz for the extra feat? I would assume artificer level 1st for the skill points. I have done warlock 18/2 rogue which was ok but I feel like my charisma based life did more damage. Is this true or just my perception. Any help would be appreciated.

I am running a x warlock/1 artificer through the reincarnation cycles.

1st level artificer. conjure bolts and Curative Admixture: Cure Light Wounds
Max Cha, split rest between Con/Int as you see fit.
keep up trapping skills for optimal search/disable. whatever on the rest as points are available.
just enough Umd to keep you at reasonably no fail on scrolls.. easy for warlocks to keep up umd benchmarks. you should be carrying all the good scrolls...
Setup the best trapping gear you can get as you tier up levels . aka Cannith Crafting
Its all you need for trapping.

Get yourself a nice repeater for low level stuff. ideally a vorpal or whatever best low level one you can get your hands on.
can even use Oladren's Great Crossbow from korthos until you do.. its actually a pretty heavy hitter.
Then transition to warlock killing power with cone/cc/instakills.

No point in watering down warlock anymore than that, since you are just delaying your better spells for the higher levels.
Pure warlock is better overall vs a multiclass, although I find the pure Warlocks strengths kick in around level 7+
I found Runearm/warlock don't play together very well, and really its the trapping and low level repeater perks, level puller pet is all I am really pulling from the artificer..
Taking the artificer gets you access to 30%xp from trapping and I find the artificer w/repeater performs better in the low level content until I start seeing more undead and can get cone/utterdark.
being 1 level behind the pure warlock is not a bad tradeoff.

[C-Dog]

IPure warlock is better overall vs a multiclass, although I find the pure Warlocks strengths kick in around level 7+

Lock 6 is a good jump in power.

I wonder if adding Barb 1 about Level 8-10 would be worth it for the run speed? Even 2 'Lock levels behind the curve, Locks have solid DPS, but that may be hoping for too much.

[lhamilton]

If your intelligence is not at max, you get what 5 skill points per level or so? Would be a little hard to max search, disable at half points and spell craft/concentration. I am thinking arti level 1, 2-7 warlock, 8-arti, 9-wiz for bonus feat or maybe 3rd arti level (gives a bonus feat?), then 10-18 warlock. Just going to be a RR build anyway. What about rune arms does not play well with warlock? They might not be that useful anyway because as far as I know the only acid power rune arm is ML 17. I have various levels of treasure hunters spyglass and spare hand so gear should be taken care of. What to you gain from the 16th and 17th levels of warlock?

[C-Dog]

If your intelligence is not at max, you get what 5 skill points per level or so?

True, but if he's "running ... through the reincarnation cycles", I'm guessing tomes are involved as well.

And if he did a RR of Drow or Gnome, that's another +1 Int to start, making any Int Tome kick in that much sooner. (And both is obviously a flat +1 skill point for all Levels.)

[lhamilton]

I guess at the most basic I am asking what am I losing by making my warlock intelligence based? Cone shape, GOO, conjuration focused. What is affected by less charisma and more intelligence?

[C-Dog]

Just to start, spell points and DC's (for both blasting and spells).

Then any Enhancement that works off Cha (notably Feigned Health).

Plus there are no Warlock Enhancements that add to Int, so Racial Enhancements only.


That said, there are some non-DC builds that show it might be doable at ~some~ level of success, e.g. this Con-based one: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5704456 .

BUT - look closely at it, see why/how that build works, and proceed from there. If you're planning on putting all level-ups into Int, you're doing it solely for trapping and skill points (and Int to Damage for your Repeater?), and the class itself is getting no love - and (as a guess*) that's a recipe for fail.

(* which is to say I've never tried it. Might be able to limp up to Lvl 18 and then TR, but it's not the road (m)any would recommend. But I could be wrong - Repeaters are not weak, and a 'Lock's bursts are not weak, so... maybe?)

[unbongwah]

What is affected by less charisma and more intelligence?

Mostly CHA is for spell DCs, which includes Pact dmg and some SLAs. Your perception that your CHA-based warlock did more DPS is accurate; someone calculated that CHA-based is something like +25% DPS over non-CHA-based, IIRC. Not to mention a CHA `lock should have good Evards DCs for extra CC. Non-CHA-based warlocks tend to load up on no-save DPS options: e.g., ES light dmg effects, Consume+Stricken+Burning Blood from SE.

That said, unless you're going for melee or ranged DPS as well, there's no real point in going INT-based on lock 18 / arty 2 build either, IMO. You don't need that much INT just to maintain trap skills, so a human build with e.g. CHA 18 INT 16 CON 16 should have plenty while still going CHA-based for max DCs.

[lhamilton]

Thank you for the info. That is what I really wanted to know. I have all the tomes on my main and will try a charisma build with maybe 14-16 con, 16-18 char, rest into intelligence and see how far I get with the traps. I know where most boxes are from playing many past lives so maybe no spot will not be a problem. Only 4 more levels to go.